Cry in Different Languages
Discover 'Cry' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Have you ever wondered how to say 'cry' in different languages? The act of crying, whether it's out of sadness, joy, or physical pain, is a universal human experience. Yet, the way we express this emotion varies greatly across cultures and languages. Understanding the nuances of this simple word in different languages can open up new windows into a culture's values and worldview.
For instance, in Spanish, 'cry' is 'llorar', which comes from the Latin 'florare', meaning 'to bloom'. This association between crying and blooming suggests a more positive view of crying, as a natural and even beautiful expression of emotion. Meanwhile, in Japanese, 'cry' is 'naku', which is a root word that also means 'to sound' or 'to make a noise'. This reflects the importance of sound and expression in Japanese culture.
Below, you'll find a list of translations of 'cry' in different languages, from Arabic to Zulu. We hope this list inspires you to explore the richness and diversity of human language and culture.
Cry
Cry in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | huil | ||
| The Afrikaans word "huil" is cognate with the Dutch verb "huilen," but in Afrikaans it can also refer to a type of bird call or to the sound made by a baby animal. | |||
| Amharic | አልቅስ | ||
| In Amharic the verb አልቅስ can also mean "to weep bitterly over the death or misfortunes of a friend". | |||
| Hausa | yi kuka | ||
| The word "yi kuka" in Hausa primarily refers to crying out in distress, but it can also mean shouting, screaming, or even weeping. | |||
| Igbo | tie mkpu | ||
| In addition to "to cry", "tie mkpu" also means "to weep, lament, or mourn" in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | mitaraina | ||
| The Malagasy word "mitaraina" is also used to describe the sound of running water. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kulira | ||
| "Kulira" also means "to make a noise" or "to sound" in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | chema | ||
| "Chema" also means "ask" or "request" in Shona, often used in the context of asking for help or assistance. | |||
| Somali | qayli | ||
| Somali 'qayli' also means scream, shout, or weep. | |||
| Sesotho | lla | ||
| The word "lla" means "to cry" in Sesotho, and is also used to describe the sound of a crying animal. | |||
| Swahili | kulia | ||
| The verb kulia is also used figuratively in Swahili to mean 'to beg' or 'to plead'. | |||
| Xhosa | khala | ||
| In Xhosa, "khala" can also mean "to wail" and is related to the Zulu word "khalaza," which signifies "a loud lament accompanied by weeping". | |||
| Yoruba | kigbe | ||
| The Yoruba word "kigbe" can also refer to a loud, piercing sound made by animals or objects. | |||
| Zulu | khala | ||
| "Khala" may also refer to a lament traditionally performed by Zulu men during a ceremony of mourning. | |||
| Bambara | ka kasi | ||
| Ewe | fa avi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | urire | ||
| Lingala | kolela | ||
| Luganda | okukaaba | ||
| Sepedi | lla | ||
| Twi (Akan) | su | ||
Cry in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يبكي | ||
| The word "يبكي" in Arabic also means "to weep" or "to shed tears". | |||
| Hebrew | בוכה | ||
| The Hebrew word "בוכה" can also refer to the sound of rushing water. | |||
| Pashto | ژړا | ||
| The Pashto word "ژړا" also refers to the "act of lamenting" or "mournful singing." | |||
| Arabic | يبكي | ||
| The word "يبكي" in Arabic also means "to weep" or "to shed tears". | |||
Cry in Western European Languages
| Albanian | qaj | ||
| The word "qaj" in Albanian comes from the Proto-Albanian word *klangō, which also means "to ring" or "to jingle". | |||
| Basque | negar egin | ||
| "Negar egin" literally translates to "to deny" in English, although it is also commonly used in the sense of "to cry". | |||
| Catalan | plorar | ||
| Catalan "plorar" derives from the Late Latin "plorare", meaning "to weep" | |||
| Croatian | plakati | ||
| The word "plakati" in Croatian derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*plakati", which could also mean "to cry out" | |||
| Danish | skrig | ||
| The Danish word "skrig" is cognate with the English word "shriek" but can also refer to a type of bird. | |||
| Dutch | huilen | ||
| The word "huilen" has no other meanings in Dutch, but it is related to the English word "howl" and the German word "heulen". | |||
| English | cry | ||
| "Cry" can also mean to exclaim, plead, or acclaim. | |||
| French | pleurer | ||
| The word "pleurer" is derived from the Latin "plorare", meaning "to wail or weep". | |||
| Frisian | gûle | ||
| The Dutch word "huilen" (to cry) is not etymologically related to its Frisian counterpart "gûle". Instead, the word is thought to be of Germanic origin, possibly derived from Proto-Germanic *huljanan, meaning "to make a sound." | |||
| Galician | chorar | ||
| In Spanish, "llorar" also means "to cry", and it has the same Latin origin as "chorar" in Galician. | |||
| German | schrei | ||
| German "Schrei" derives from Old High German "skrîjan" ("to cry out"), akin to English "shriek" and "scream". | |||
| Icelandic | gráta | ||
| The Icelandic word "gráta" is etymologically related to the English word "groan" and the Irish word "grád", both meaning "love". | |||
| Irish | caoin | ||
| Caoin can also refer to an elegiac chant performed at Irish wakes and funerals. | |||
| Italian | piangere | ||
| The verb 'piangere' originates from the Latin 'plangere', meaning 'to beat oneself in mourning' or 'to make a loud noise'. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kräischen | ||
| The etymology of "kräischen" derives from Old High German "kreischen" and the Middle Low German "krēschen" both meaning to shout. | |||
| Maltese | tibki | ||
| The word "tibki" also means "a drop of water" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | gråte | ||
| The word "gråte" is cognate with the verb "to greet" or "to weep," possibly due to an association between crying and greeting. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | choro | ||
| The word "choro" in Portuguese is derived from the Greek word "choros", meaning "dance". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | caoin | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, "caoin" refers to both a "lament" or "cry" and a "poet" or "bard". | |||
| Spanish | llorar | ||
| In Spanish, “llorar” can refer not only to shedding tears, but also to making the sound of a crying baby. | |||
| Swedish | gråta | ||
| It can also refer to weeping, sobbing, or wailing. | |||
| Welsh | crio | ||
| "Crio" can also mean "to shout" or "to give a speech". | |||
Cry in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | плакаць | ||
| The word “плакаць” can also mean to mourn, lament, or weep. | |||
| Bosnian | plakati | ||
| The original meaning of "plakati" was probably related to the sound produced by crying, as a derivative of the Proto-Slavic root *plak- (*рлак). | |||
| Bulgarian | плачи | ||
| The word "плачи" can also refer to a type of Bulgarian folk song that expresses sorrow and lamentation. | |||
| Czech | plakat | ||
| "plakat" is also used to mean "to advertise" or "to advertise" in Czech. | |||
| Estonian | nutma | ||
| "Nutma" derives from Proto-Finnic *nutta- "weep" and can also refer to shedding tears from joy or relief. | |||
| Finnish | itkeä | ||
| "Itkeä" comes from the Proto-Uralic root *itkä- which means "to weep, to cry". | |||
| Hungarian | kiáltás | ||
| "Kiáltás" has various meanings in Hungarian: scream, shout, cry for help as a noun and to scream, shout, call for help as a verb. | |||
| Latvian | raudāt | ||
| In Latvian, the verb "raudāt" is also used to describe the flow of tears in the eyes without accompanying vocalizations. | |||
| Lithuanian | verkti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "verkti" also means "to weep" and is cognate with the Latin word "lacrimare". | |||
| Macedonian | плаче | ||
| The word "плаче" also has connotations of mourning, lamenting, or shedding tears out of sadness. | |||
| Polish | płakać | ||
| "Płakać" is a Polish verb that can also mean "to flow" or "to drip". | |||
| Romanian | strigăt | ||
| "Strigăt" is also used in Romanian to refer to an alarm signal or a call for help, derived from the same Slavic root as "strig" (to shout). | |||
| Russian | крик | ||
| The Russian word "крик" can also refer to a type of folk song originating in ancient Novgorod. | |||
| Serbian | плакати | ||
| The verb 'плакати' can also refer to a form of public protest involving the display of signs. | |||
| Slovak | plač | ||
| In Czech, the word "plač" means "salary" in addition to meaning "cry" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | jokati | ||
| The word "jokati" in Slovenian has its origin in Proto-Indo-European ’geghu-’, which also gave rise to the English word "yell" and the German word "johlen". | |||
| Ukrainian | плакати | ||
| The verb плакати and the noun плач are derived from Proto-Slavic plakati, a word indicating the sound of crying. | |||
Cry in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কান্না | ||
| The term “কান্না” (cry) in Bengali shares a common etymological origin with “ক্রন্দন” (cry) in Sanskrit, signifying a lament for loss. | |||
| Gujarati | રુદન | ||
| The Gujarati word "રુદન" is derived from the Sanskrit word "rud" meaning "to weep" and can also refer to the sound of crying. | |||
| Hindi | रोना | ||
| The word "रोना" can also mean "to lament" or "to weep" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಅಳಲು | ||
| "ಅಳಲು" can also mean "to beseech" or "to request". | |||
| Malayalam | കരയുക | ||
| The Malayalam word "കരയുക" can also mean "to cry out (with joy)". | |||
| Marathi | रडणे | ||
| "रडणे" can also mean a particular type of song in Marathi. | |||
| Nepali | रुनु | ||
| The word "रुनु" comes from the Sanskrit word "रुद" meaning "to weep" and is related to the English word "rue" meaning "to express sorrow or regret". | |||
| Punjabi | ਰੋ | ||
| The word "ਰੋ" in Punjabi can also mean "to weep" or "to shed tears". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | අ .න්න | ||
| The Sinhala word "අ. න්න" (cry) is also derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "h₂reh₂-" (to split), as in "anguish" in English. | |||
| Tamil | கலங்குவது | ||
| The Tamil word 'கலங்குவது' can also refer to 'being disturbed' or 'being shaken'. | |||
| Telugu | కేకలు | ||
| The term "కేకలు" also signifies an expression of joy or excitement in Telugu, contrasting its primary meaning of sorrow. | |||
| Urdu | رونا | ||
| The word "رونا" can also mean to lament, grieve, or mourn. | |||
Cry in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 哭 | ||
| In modern Chinese, "哭" (kū) usually refers to the act of shedding tears, but it also has meanings such as "to howl" or "to whine". | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 哭 | ||
| The character 哭 (kū) in Chinese can also mean 'to weep', 'to mourn', or 'to lament'. | |||
| Japanese | 泣く | ||
| The verb "泣く" can also mean "to weep" or "to shed tears of joy or sorrow." | |||
| Korean | 울음 소리 | ||
| The Korean word for crying, 울음 소리, also has the meaning of a "wailing sound" | |||
| Mongolian | уйл | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "уйл" can also refer to a type of folk art that involves the telling of stories through melodies and rhythms. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ငို | ||
| The word "ငို" ("cry") is likely derived from Proto-Burushaski-Proto-Sino-Tibetan and can also mean "water, tears" or "to weep bitterly." | |||
Cry in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menangis | ||
| The word "menangis" derives from the Old Javanese word "nangis", which shares a root with the Sanskrit word "rud". | |||
| Javanese | nangis | ||
| The word 'nangis' also has an alternate meaning of 'watering or soaking something'. | |||
| Khmer | យំ | ||
| The word "យំ" also means "to call out" or "to shout" in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຮ້ອງໄຫ້ | ||
| Malay | menangis | ||
| The word "menangis" in Malay also means "to weep" or "to shed tears". | |||
| Thai | ร้องไห้ | ||
| ร้องไห้ is also used to refer to the sound of animals, such as birds or cats. | |||
| Vietnamese | khóc | ||
| In some dialects of Vietnamese, “khóc” can describe the sound a water buffalo makes. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | umiyak | ||
Cry in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ağlamaq | ||
| The Azerbaijani verb 'ağlamaq' can also mean 'to lament', 'to mourn', or 'to whine'. | |||
| Kazakh | жылау | ||
| The word "жылау" in Kazakh also has the alternate meaning of "to flow" or "to run (of a liquid)". | |||
| Kyrgyz | ыйлоо | ||
| Ыйлоо in Kyrgyz originates from the Proto-Turkic word *jïl-, meaning "to call" or "to shout". | |||
| Tajik | гиря кардан | ||
| The Tajik term "гиря кардан” is also a homonym used in weightlifting, referring to a weight on the end of a barbell. | |||
| Turkmen | agla | ||
| Uzbek | yig'lamoq | ||
| The word "yig'lamoq" in Uzbek comes from the Proto-Turkic word *yïγla-, meaning "to weep". | |||
| Uyghur | يىغلاڭ | ||
Cry in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | uē | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'uē' also refers to the call of a pig, the bleat of a goat, and the hoot of an owl. | |||
| Maori | tangi | ||
| The word 'tangi' in Maori can refer both to a funeral lament and a state of deep sorrow or bereavement. | |||
| Samoan | tagi | ||
| The Samoan word | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | sigaw mo | ||
| "Sigaw mo" also means "voice" (e.g. the voice of a leader), or "expression" (of an idea or emotion). | |||
Cry in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jachaña | ||
| Guarani | tasẽ | ||
Cry in International Languages
| Esperanto | plori | ||
| The word "plori" is also used to describe the sound made by birds. | |||
| Latin | clamoris | ||
| The word "clamoris" also refers to a loud noise or uproar in Latin. | |||
Cry in Others Languages
| Greek | κραυγή | ||
| The word "κραυγή" can also refer to an outcry or a cry of protest. | |||
| Hmong | quaj | ||
| The word "quaj" is also used to describe the sound made by a gong or a bird. | |||
| Kurdish | girîn | ||
| The Kurdish word "girîn" is linguistically related to the Kurdish root "gir-, gör-", meaning "to burn". This is also reflected in the word "girân" (heat), which shares the same root. | |||
| Turkish | ağla | ||
| "Ağlamak" kelimesi Türkçe'de gözyaşı dökmek anlamına gelmesinin yanı sıra, "yakarmak, yalvarmak" anlamlarına da gelir. | |||
| Xhosa | khala | ||
| In Xhosa, "khala" can also mean "to wail" and is related to the Zulu word "khalaza," which signifies "a loud lament accompanied by weeping". | |||
| Yiddish | וויינען | ||
| The Yiddish word "וויינען" (veynen) can also mean to lament or mourn. | |||
| Zulu | khala | ||
| "Khala" may also refer to a lament traditionally performed by Zulu men during a ceremony of mourning. | |||
| Assamese | কন্দা | ||
| Aymara | jachaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | रोआई | ||
| Dhivehi | ރުއިން | ||
| Dogri | रौना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | umiyak | ||
| Guarani | tasẽ | ||
| Ilocano | agsangit | ||
| Krio | kray | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گریان | ||
| Maithili | चिल्लानाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯞꯄ | ||
| Mizo | tap | ||
| Oromo | boo'uu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କାନ୍ଦ | ||
| Quechua | waqay | ||
| Sanskrit | रुद् | ||
| Tatar | ела | ||
| Tigrinya | ምብካይ | ||
| Tsonga | rila | ||